I did not study abroad, but after traveling on my own, I regret not doing it. My reasons, now that I look back on it, were silly. I wanted to make sure that I graduated on time so I wouldn't have to pay for extra semesters and I didn't want studying abroad to hold me back. I also didn't want to leave because I felt like I would miss out on things in America and in my friend group. Another reason was that I felt like I had to work throughout college. It made me nervous not to be working and not making money while studying abroad.

I've been studying French since junior high, and the main reason that I decided to study abroad was because I wanted to immerse myself in French culture and improve my language skills. For me, studying abroad was a great way to work on my French to a degree that I don't think I would have been able to do otherwise. However, if I hadn't wanted to improve my language skills, I don't think that I would have done a study abroad program. It's a big commitment to live in another country, even for a semester, so it's not a decision to take lightly. If you're mostly interested in traveling, I think you're better off doing so on your own time, when you won't be distracted by schoolwork.

I didn't study abroad because I get homesick extremely easily (it was a struggle for me to go to a school that is only an hour plane ride away). In addition, I feel like I will have time to travel after college before I start my job, so I didn't feel like I was missing out. I didn't like the idea that I would leave for abroad as a junior and come back as a senior... I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I honestly loved second semester (the time where most people go abroad) because I enjoyed the small group of people that were still in Michigan. I met so many new people and I also found out who my true friends were (who I talked to all of the time, who I missed, who I didn't miss, etc.).